Cat And Mouse(Amon X Non-Bender)
by XxIyngu-ArjxX
Summary: Ilaina, an infamous detective from the deepest parts of the Fire Nation, travels to the Republic City to save it from a masked man who claims to possess the ability to take away a person's bending. It is up to Ilaina to assist the Avatar in stopping Amon and saving Republic City. But she never expected to have feelings for the enemy, and for him to fall for her...


IN THE DEATH OF THE NIGHT

Ilaina took a deep breath as she stood outside the police headquarters of Republic City. It has only been a few hours since she arrived at Republic City. But Ilaina wasn't one who likes to dawdle. She liked to complete her tasks as it gives her self satisfaction. That's most probably the reason why she was a detective.

Ilaina pushed open the huge doors and walked in. As she had expected, it was quite busy, filled with police officers going about their usual routine. She hummed in approval and made her way to her designated destination.

She was stopped short by a policeman who smiled at her. "Excuse me, ma'am. Please forgive me for my rudeness, but where exactly do you plan to go?" he asked rather politely. Ilaina made a mental note of that.

She gave him a fake smile. "I'm here to see Chief Lin Bei Fong." she replied. He chuckled and smiled at her. "I'm sorry ma'am. But you have to go through the normal procedures, like everyone else. The Chief is a busy woman after all. Not just anyone can meet her without an appointment." he said.

She lowered her sunglasses, her blue eyes looked into his dark ones. "Indeed. But am I really just anyone?" she asked while flashing an envelope in front of him.

He took it and opened it. He took the letter inside and unfolded it tentatively, reading the first few lines. His facial expression changed and he looked at her in amazement. She smirked at him. "I'm so sorry, detective. I didn't know…"

"Don't bother." she replied as she snatched the letter out of his hands and walked away. "Do you need any assistance in finding the Chief's office?" he called out. "I'm not accustomed to asking anyone for help." she replied.

True enough, without anyone's help, she found Chief Beifong's office. Before she could knock, the door burst open. A middle age monk walked out with an angry looking teenage water tribe. The man nodded his head at Ilaina. "A pleasant evening to you, ma'am." he wished. "A pleasant evening it is, indeed." she exchanged.

The teenager didn't look at her, but just walked ahead in angry strides. How rude, Ilaina thought. She walked in and found the chief sitting at her table while massaging her temples. "Good evening, Chief Lin Beifong." Ilaina greeted the older lady.

Chief Beifong just glanced at her and groaned. "If you have any civilian matters, take it to the police officers down there." she replied.

Ilaina chuckled as she made herself comfortable on the chair opposite the Chief. "I believe you are the one who called me here, Chief." she said as she held out the letter. Chief Lin Beifong took the letter and read it, her eyes widen.

"Detective Ilaina! I wasn't expecting you today. I thought you might want to recuperate after that awfully long journey from the Fire Fountain City." Chief Lin Beifong exclaimed.

"Well, I do rather like to get straight to my tasks." Ilaina replied. The Chief smiled at her. "Nice. I think we will get along just fine." she said.

"In your letter, you briefly mentioned a crisis in Republic City that requires my utmost attention." Ilaina said, immediately getting to business. Chief Beifong nodded solemnly. "Yes, so it would seem. Do you know anything about the Equalists? Or their masked leader, Amon?" she asked.

Ilaina shook her head. "No. I'm sorry, I am afraid I don't. News of the outside world is rather hard to come by from where I reside." she replied. "The Equalists are non-benders who believe that the world should be rid of bending. To make the lives of non-benders more peaceful. To make the world an equal place." the Chief explained.

"I see. It surely is a crisis. And how exactly do they plan to carry out this barbaric plan?" Ilaina asked. "Their leader, Amon, is rumoured to have powers that have the capability of removing a person's bending."

"Hmmm.." Ilaina hummed as she rested her head on her hand and smiled. "And that's why you chose me. You were wise to contact me about this issue." she said.

"I hope that with you by the police side, we might have a chance at stopping Amon and bringing him to justice." the Chief said. Ilaina stood up and bowed. "I can't wait to start on the case and work with the Avatar. When can I meet her?" she asked.

The Chief smirked at her. "You just did." Ilaina stared at her in disbelief. "Oh boy! Looks like I have my work cut out for me." she mumbled while sighing.

It was late night when Ilaina made her way into the motel she was staying in. The whole day was spent with Chief Beifong, discussing about the Equalists and the police's counterattack strategy. She didn't want to admit it, but she was tired.

She went into her room and slowly stripped off her scarf and coat. She discarded them on the bed and walked over to the window. She let the window open and breathed in the fresh air. She didn't want to switch on the room light, so she let the city light to stream in, filling the room with a soft glow. It was difficult to find beautiful city lights from the small town where she lived.

She smiled as she slowly took off her pins from her hair, untangling her long thick brunette hair from its bundle. As quick as lightning, she threw her sharp, needle pointed pins across the room…

And they were caught by her target, sitting on the couch at the far dark corner.

He chuckled softly as he toyed with her pins. "You have excellent aim, crocodile. You could have injured me." he said. She straightened up. "Believe me, that was my intention." she replied.

He stood up slowly and stepped into the light. As she had expected, his face was covered with the infamous white smirking mask - always the victor. She smirked "Your mask gives you away, Amon." she said.

"Well, you know what they said, the extreme always seems to make an impression." he purred. She scoffed at his remark. "What are you doing here, Amon? I most certainly did not expect to see you so soon." Ilaina said.

"Greetings and salutations. I was merely curious to know who the Republic City Police Force had recruited from the deepest parts of the Fire Nation in their futile attempt to stop me." he said.

She sniggered and slowly walked closer to him. "My my! It almost seems like you are confident that you will emerge as the victor in the end." she said with a laugh.

"What's wrong with being confident? Besides, haven't you heard of my power?" he enquired. "Oh yes! I have heard so much of this fascinating power. What was it again? Taking someone's bending away. HA!! What a load of crap!" she taunted.

His eyes narrowed as he watched her. "You underestimate me, darling crocodile! All it takes is merely a few seconds to change your life forever." he said. She walked closer till she was just a few feet away from him. She stared at his eyes through his mask, challenging him. "Go ahead. Take it." she whispered fiercely.

He lifted his hands and pointed at her temples. He was intrigued by her attitude. She could still stand there smiling at him when he was mere seconds from taking her bending away. Though he can't feel any spiritual power from her. That's when it hit him.

"You are a non-bender."

"Bingo."

He tried to remain calm, but inside he was angry for being so stupid. He was let on by this strange woman. "I see. Chief Beifong has really outdone herself this time." he said, more to himself.

He studied her carefully. "You, of all person, should understand the ideals of the Equalists." he said.

She walked towards the window and looked out. She sighed wistfully. "I do agree that sometimes we non-benders are treated rather differently from the benders, but it still doesn't give us the right to take away their bending. Not all of them are evil. Besides, this will only prove to them that we really are bad people, we really are dirt underneath their boots. This isn't the right way to solve the problem, and you know it!" Ilaina said.

Amon slowly inhaled and exhaled. "I'll take that as a no." he said. Suddenly, in a split second, he had her pinned against the window frame. She gasped in surprise at his close presence. Never before had any man been this close to her before!! She could feel his muscles beneath his clothes. Her breath was coming in short pants.

The mighty Detective Ilaina was falling apart at this masked stranger's advancement.

He could feel her heart pulsing quickly, very well aware of the effect he had on the maiden. He smirked as he pushed her chin up to face him. She stared at his eyes through his mask.

"I will make you see my way."

With that, he jumped out the window and disappeared into the death of the night…


End file.
